OF ROBINSON CRUSOE. : 125

 

CHAPTER VIII.

Alake a second Tour through the Island—Catch a young Parrot, which I afterwarda
teach to spenk—My Mode of sleeping at Night—Find the other side of the Island
much more pleasant than mine, and covered with Turtle and Sea-fowl—Catch a
young Kid, which I tame—Return to my old Heabitation—Great plague with my
Harvest.

I MENTIONED before, that I had a great mind to sce the whole island,
and that I had travelled up the brook, and so on to where I built my
bower, and where I had an opening quite to the sea, on the other side
of the island. I now resolved to travel quite across to the sca-shore
on that side. So, taking my gun and hatchet, and my dog, and a
larger quantity of powder and shot than usual, with two Gecucae
and a great bunch of raisins in my pouch, for my store, I began my
journcy. When I had passed the vale where my bower stood, as
above, I came within view of the sca, to the west; and it being a very
clear day, I fairly descried land, whether an island or continent I
could not tell; but it lay very high, extending from the west to the
west-south-west, at a very great distance; by my guess it could not be
less than fifteen or twenty leagues off.

I could not tell what part of the world this might be, otherwise than
that I knew it must be part of America; and, as I concluded by all
my observations, must be near the Spanish dominions, and perhaps
was all inhabited by savages, where, if I should have landed, I: had
been in a worse condition than I was now; and therefore I acquiesced °
in the dispositions of Providence, which I began now to own, and to
believe ordered every thing for the best,—I say, I quieted my mind
with this, and left afflicting myself with fruitless wishes of being there.

Besides, after some pause upon this affair, I considered, that if this
land was the Spanish coast, I should certainly, one time or other, see
some vessels pass or repass one way or other; but if not, then it was
the savage coast between the Spanish country and Brazil, which were.
indeed the worst of savages; for they-are cannibals, or men-eaters,
and fail not to murder and devour all the human bodies that fall into
their hands. ‘

With these considerations I walked very leisurely for ward. .I found
that side of the island where I now was much pleasanter thin mine,—
ties oven, or savanna fields sweet, adorned with flowers